A/N: The not anticipated Chapter 7. I had it beta'd and ready to go on sunday but i forgot about it. Sorry. Thank you to charahkids for fixing it up!
Chapter 7
Director Jordan circled around the Intersect who was currently standing in the middle of his borrowed office at attention. His eyes were staring straight ahead, showing no indication of what was going on around him. But the Director knew differently. He knew that behind those glassy eyes data was being processed and crunched at a speed rate way beyond any human's comprehension.
The Director had a gleeful smile plastered on his face. Like a kid at Christmas who got exactly what he wanted and couldn't wait to play with his new toy. He was ecstatic that the project had gone off so well with only a small hiccup during the last stage. It didn't matter anywise, by then it was too late and the Intersect had already been successfully completely uploaded into Agent Bartowski.
There was nothing that could have been done at that point. The program had been successfully ingrained for weeks, studying its surroundings and learning. Learning about everything and processing it for later use.
Director Jordan originally wanted to have everything uploaded and ready to go the first update out. However the Dr. Krinshaw had argued against it. As much as he hated to admit it the little doctor was right. It was too much information at once for any human mind to absorb on top of that the doctor was adamant about letting the program have time to feel its way around. To learn about how humans operate so as to blend better amongst them making missions more successful, covers more realistic.
He just hoped that the thing didn't pick up on any of Agent Bartowski's more annoying nuances.
He completed his inspection by standing directly in front of the Intersect, looking directly into his glazed eyes. He stared into the soft brown orbs contemplating on what his next move should be. He knew that once word got out to the NSA, to General Beckman he will be forced by the higher ups of the agencies to play nice and share their new toy.
He had no doubt that General Beckman already was aware of what was happening at the moment with Agent Walker and Col. Casey being such loyal agents of hers. He was secretly surprised that he hadn't gotten another angry visit or at least an angry call from the General regarding the status of her third Agent. It was only a matter of time though he knew.
"Sir, Agent Walker and Col. Casey have arrived and are on the way up." His assistant announced hanging up their phone. Director Jordan didn't acknowledge him as he continued to stare up at the Intersect.
"Guess it's time to assemble the team hmm? Ready for a test Intersect?" He asked it. He watched as the eyes glazed further in processing before it answered in an affirmative. It took a lot of his willpower not to cheer and clap his hands eagerly like a seal at the Intersects effectiveness so far.
His attention was finally drawn away when the door opened and both Sarah and Casey walked into the room, faces impassive as they looked around at those assembled. He watched eagerly at the way Sarah took a cautious glance over in his Intersects direction, quickly taking in his stance and appearance.
Though she was under his command he was very wary of Agent Sarah Walker. He was well aware of her status as his predecessor's wild card enforcer. He had met her several times before, always in the presence of Langston Graham. He knew that Langston had information about him on some of his sketchier dealings and he was always cautious around Agent Walker, not knowing exactly what Graham may have told her.
He made a mental note as he watched her to put the Intersect on high alert and possibly have it eliminate her if needed. She was a compromised agent, falling in love with his new toy. He wasn't stupid; you didn't get to where he was today being so. Sarah Walker was a highly trained Agent, one of the best in the world. And her being compromised with the host of the Intersect did not bode well for him.
It was a cardinal rule of spies to not fall in love. Not only because the next second they are together they would either have to leave them without notice or kill them, but Agencies frowned upon it because it puts doubt on their loyalty. An Agent in love is more likely to turn against them to save their love. They are unpredictable, and very dangerous. And Agent Sarah Walker was the most dangerous of them all.
"Agent Walker, Col Casey thank you for joining me." He stated finally stepping away from the Intersect to walk around the desk. "Please have a seat." He said as he himself sat down in the big chair. He watched them silently for several moments, taking in their professional appearances and demeanors.
"We've considered the orders and have decided that we would like to be a part of it." Sarah stated stoically. He felt her steely blue eyes on him and he wanted to shudder at how deadly they looked.
"Of course it wasn't exactly and option to decline, but I'm glad to see you came about." He stated back at them, watching their stiff postures as they sat across from him. They were locked in some kind of game of mental chess. Everything said and done had to be strategic in order not to tip the other into their thoughts or plans.
"Of course Director." She replied back. She sat straighter in her chair and crossed her left leg over her right, exuding confidence and composure. He was sure a lesser man would cave under her icy stare, but he didn't. He was prepared for it.
"Well, I'm glad you decided in any case because we have a mission for the three of you." He stated watching their expressions for any disagreement. But both agents watched him impassively. "It's a simple mission but we wish to test out the Intersect-"
"Chuck." Sarah said, interrupting him. He looked up from the folder he was looking at making eye contact with her.
"What was that Agent Walker?" He inquired, knowing full well what she had just said. She didn't cower under his own hardened stare, if anything with a quirked eyebrow he almost felt challenged.
"His name is Chuck." She said plainly. Director Jordan gave a false saddened sigh and lowered his folder, steepling his fingers together.
"I understand this is hard for you Agent Walker, but, I'm sorry. Chuck Bartowski is no more." He stated, attempting to sound sympathetic but failing even to his own ears.
"Well you don't want to go around calling him The Intersect do you?" Casey jumped in finally, looking over at the thing in question. "If that's the case you might as well put a big bow with a card to anyone who wants it."
Director Jordan took a deep calming breath, hoping it looked more like he was considering their words and not that they were trying his patience. He didn't really want them on the team but as they were already on it, he was well aware that Beckman would at least fight tooth and nail to keep them all together. Being the most successful team in possibly the whole history of international intelligence did give them some advantages and leeways.
He looked over at the Intersect, which still stood at attention and stared off at the wall behind him. He liked this version of Bartowski better. He hadn't met him before but just from reading the reports he seemed like an exhausting, talkative and overly emotional guy.
"Intersect, what say you?" He asked it. The Intersect finally turned its head to survey those around him before answering.
"It may be prudent to continue to associate the cover name Charles Carmichael when referring to me as to not give away imperative information." He stated. Director Jordan barked out a laugh and slapped his hands together excitedly.
"That's a good point Intersect, or Charles I should say. Very well, you shall now be referred to as Charles Carmichael." He said gleefully before turning back to the two agents in front of him. "Now on to the Mission."
Sarah and Casey reached out across the desk to grab the two folders that Director Jordan was holding out for them. They opened the folders to see the mission parameters and making note of their roles.
"We're to be observing? Not participating?" Casey growled out in disbelief looking over at Sarah who was still reading the file.
"Yes. We want to see how well the Intersect, I'm sorry, Charles here performs. You two will be his eyes and ears in the surveillance van while Charles goes into the compound and retrieves the flash drive back."
"You're making it sound easy Sir, but according to this the place is swarming with enemy agents. How is Chuck here going to get in and get out alive with no back up?" Casey closed the file in his hands and looked at the Director disbelieving.
Director Jordan sat back in the chair, placing his hand under his chin he watched the two agents in front of him curiously. He agreed it was difficult and he was slightly concerned about it. It wouldn't look too good on him if he lost the Intersect after one mission. However, he genuinely believed that the Intersect could handle it without any assistance.
"The Intersect is a highly intelligent machine. I'm sure it will perform beautifully. And if push comes to shove, you two will be there as backup if needed. You're to go after it tonight. Take Charles to your base and put it together. Report to me immediately upon completion." He ordered.
With that Director Jordan stood up and held out one last folder out to which Chuck reached out to grab it. Not bothering to read it he placed it at his side, continuing to stand at attention.
"Good Luck."
The ride to Castle was silent. It wasn't a matter of not knowing what to say, it was they wanted to say too much. There were so many questions and unknowns to both Sarah and Casey but they weren't sure exactly how the Intersect would take them. It was a tool of the US government and as such it could and most likely would report them to Director Jordan if it felt it needed to, so they sat in silence and drove along the highway in silence.
Sarah herself wanted nothing more than to go to Chuck, to wrap her arms around him, kiss him and hold him tightly while she pleaded with the machine that took hold of her love to release him. To tell it that she loved the man who the body belonged to and how wrong it was that it took him over. She doubted the machine would care, not being human and having human emotions but it's what she wanted to desperately to do.
However she had made the decision to stay strong and play the Agent for now. To lower the defenses of the Intersect and those around him. They wanted to gain its trust, make it think that they were loyal to it and to those it reported to. It was a decision she didn't want to make but after listening to both Casey and Ellie, she had decided to follow.
She had been very surprised after Casey suggested it that Ellie whole heartily agreed. For a moment in time Sarah felt alone and her mind immediately began making plans on her own to take care of this. However Ellie had surprised her, knowing exactly what Sarah was wanting to do and admitting that she too felt that they need to fight hard for Chuck. However they needed to be cautious now. Nobody knew what was happening or how this computer worked. They needed to gather more intelligence on it before they can form some kind of plan.
They were right; she couldn't be the lovesick girlfriend who lost her boyfriend right now. But she couldn't be the other person either. She couldn't be the Agent girlfriend. She couldn't go in and kill everyone who did this to her Chuck to try to get him back. She had to play the calm Agent. She had to play Agent Sarah Walker, loyal spy of the CIA and NSA.
Suddenly she felt split into three people and she wondered which one in the end would win.
Pulling up to the Orange Orange, Casey pulled up to the back loading dock as to avoid anyone from the plaza seeing Chuck. If it were anyone else it wouldn't have been a problem but Chuck was well known around there and everybody liked him and found him easily approachable, something that would not be a great idea at the moment.
Sarah stepped out of Casey's car first, closing the door as she watched as Chuck got out from the back and looked around their location. She thought she saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes but dismissed it. Of course he would recognize it. He doesn't have amnesia, just a computer program in his brain.
He followed them silently as they led him into the back way into Castle and into the conference room. He walked around the equipment in the room before his eyes finally settled on the screen ahead where Beckman normally appeared standing at attention once again.
"Do you need anything Chuck?" Sarah asked him standing off to the side. He turned his head and looked at her, or through her she felt, before turning back to the black screen.
"I do not require anything at the present time." He stated. Sarah nodded her acknowledgement and walked away, leaving him there to find Casey.
She found him in the armory pulling out weapon and preparing them for the mission tonight. She watched him as he meticulously checked each one over making sure they were in proper working order before setting them aside to be packed up later. Sarah wasn't quite sure why he was already doing this part when they didn't even have a solid plan yet.
"Casey, we don't even know what we're going to do yet, why are you pulling out weapons?" She asked him leaning against the table. He glanced at her for a second before snapping the magazine back into the 9mil he was checking.
"That thing may have taken over Bartowski but I'm sure as hell going to make sure he's covered." He growled out. Sarah just shook her head.
"I doubt he'll be able to even carry all this, let alone use it. Plus you know that Chuck doesn't like guns." She pointed out, picking out a few flash grenades.
"Chuck may not like guns but that thing isn't him. I'm sure that it has no problem taking a gun and shooting someone as you've seen. And it's not just for him. Do you honestly think you'll be able to stay in the car while Bartowski goes in there by himself? This is a suicide mission Walker." He stated as he grabbed a bag from underneath the gun rack.
Sarah wasn't quite sure what to say. She didn't agree it was a suicide mission, being as she doubted the government would send their new super-agent into one so soon after finally getting what they wanted. But she couldn't tell Casey that. She could tell by the way he clenched his jaw and slammed the weapons around that he was upset over this whole thing. She chose to ignore the comments about Chuck using actual guns for the moment.
"Ok, well, what do you propose we do then?" She asked him, trying to distract him and get into the planning. The best way to keep Chuck alive during this is to come up with the best course of action.
"The solution is simple. You two shall come with me." They turned around quickly at the voice behind them and saw Chuck standing there looking at them. Sarah's heart beat quicker at the start, cursing herself for not noticing his approach.
"You're to do this alone Bartowski, Directors orders." Casey growled, narrowing his eyes at the person in front of them.
"I understand the parameters of this mission well. However it is my assessment that if this mission is to be successful than I will require your assistance." He intoned.
Sarah looked towards Casey, hoping to see what he thought of this but as usually his face was a perfect mask of indifference. Her eyes met Chucks for and for a moment she thought she saw the softness that she was so familiar with but in a second it was gone.
"And the Director? This is a test. A test for you, to see how you perform in the field." Casey said returning to packing the weapons he'd pulled out into the duffle bag.
"The Director is of no concern in this. The point of the test is to see how I perform using the resources available to me. You two are available and therefore will be used." With that he placed the file that the Director had handed him onto the work table and opened it up, showing a map of the compound. "If you two enter here and I enter over here." He stated pointing to two separate entrances. "We shall be able to achieve the objective."
"Plant a little C4 down the corridor as we go along and exit out the southern exit, we could detonate and blow half the place up." Casey stated looking at the building plans.
"The Director wants as much of this cell eliminated as possible." Chuck stated looking up and over to Casey. "I suggest you bring the rocket launcher."
The look on Casey's face scared Sarah slightly. She had never seen such a huge smile on his face and she was frightened by it, and by the fact that Chuck had suggested it. Everything felt wrong. The plan felt wrong, the equipment felt wrong, Chuck felt wrong. Casey's near teary smile felt wrong. She couldn't take it anymore and had to get out of there.
"That's fine, its fine. Finish packing and we'll head over in an hour." She said quickly before walking away from the two of them.
She walked to the conference room and stood there a moment before sitting heavily into one of the chairs. She covered her face with her hands and took several deep breaths trying to calm her emotions. She didn't know why they were out of control at the moment, having been trained and able to hide them for years, but she couldn't let them get ahold of her.
That's not true; she knew exactly what was wrong. The same wrong that has been happening over the past three days. Since the Intersect first took over Chuck. She wished hard with all her might that she could just wake up and all this would be over or just a bad dream. That she would awaken with a start and find herself wrapped in Chuck's arms, safe and secure and that this had all been a nightmare.
"Agent Walker are you alright?" Chuck inquired stepping beside her. For a second time she jumped startled at not hearing his approach and looked up at him glaring.
"Since when did you become so quiet when you walk?" She bit out harshly, only to feel bad and want to take it back the next second. It wasn't his fault.
"I apologize Agent Walker." He said. "May I sit down?" He asked pulling the chair out and sitting without waiting for a reply.
They sat there in silence for several moments as Sarah observed him. Her heart ached as she watched him. It was barely twenty four hours ago he was still her Chuck. That she was in his arms and telling him how much she loved him. On the surface he looked the same, he hadn't changed. He had the same curly hair, the same long limbs, and the same soft looking lips that she wanted so badly to kiss.
But she knew he wasn't her Chuck. While outwardly they may look the same, the look in his eyes alone told her they were different. Instead of soft brown eyes that showed anybody who bothered to look his soul, they were hard and indifferent, calculating. His lanky body that was once limber and awkward, even after all these years now sat stiffly and in control. Everything about him shouted that he was not Chuck Bartowski, and the knowledge filled her eyes with tears she refused to let loose.
Sarah turned away from him, no longer able to look at the face of the man she loved more than anything. She couldn't stand to see the indifference he showed her, or the silence that held between them. Everything in her being shouted at her to just grab ahold of him, press her lips to his and kiss him for all she's worth. That just maybe one of those fairy tales that Morgan was always blabbering about could come true and fix this, but she held back, not sure what the machine inside her loves head would do if she let herself go.
"I know you care about Chuck Agent Walker." The Intersect told her. She scowled looking back at him, watching his human eyes calculate her. She had a retort but bit it back, not able to say it to him, to the face of Chuck. Instead her scowl turned softer and she looked back at the table.
"Please, call me Sarah." She said softly. She waited for a response of some kind but none came. She glanced up from the table, startled to see him staring at her unblinkingly. "You know, it's not polite to stare." She said lightly giving a small smile.
Sarah watched fascinated as the machine in front of her lifted Chuck's lips up in the corners to imitate her. It looked more like a grimace than a smile and it made her sad thinking she may never really see Chuck's smile again.
"I'm sorry. I haven't fully grasped all the functions of the human body." He stated lifting his hand in front of him and flexing his fingers. "It's quite a miraculous machine. Very complex-"
"And not yours." She bit out angrily before she could stop herself. She looked away from him and stared straight ahead not wanting to see if her words had any effect on him.
"I understand you are upset over Chuck." He said, lowering his hand back to the table as she turned to him incredulous.
"Upset? Is that what you call how I feel? You, a computer program took over my boyfriend, the man I love and was planning on spending the rest of my life with. You took him away. Trust me; upset does not begin to express how I feel." She shouted at him.
Sarah stood up and walked a few feet away from him, pausing for a second before turning back and stepping right into his personal space. She was well aware that he could easily take her out with barely any effort but she wasn't afraid of him. With Chuck gone she felt even more invincible since she felt she had nothing else to lose.
She stood above him staring down into his eyes contemplating her next words considering the wisdom in them. But she had to know, she had to be sure. She wasn't giving up yet but she wanted to hear it from the Intersect, from the thing that did this. She watched his eyes as the pupils dilated and glazing over as if in a flash for a second before focusing on her.
"Is he really gone?" She whispered to him, holding her breath. He seemed to watch her for a few moments, gaging her reaction to all of this, seemingly thinking before replying.
"I am sorry Sarah, Chuck is not available." He told her firmly. Sarah stared at him a few more moments before turning abruptly away from him and walking away without turning back. She didn't believe him, and somehow she would prove it. "Are we going to be able to rely on your Sarah Walker on this mission?"
Sarah stopped in her steps and stared straight ahead contemplating making some sarcastic remark or comment. But she didn't, reminding herself that she had to be the consummate spy, and that Casey also relied on her.
"I will do my job to the best of my abilities. That I can promise you that." She said before exiting the room.
A/N: There. I took the week or so off to figure out where i'm going with it and frankly i have no frickin clue. I still feel i'm over my head with this technical fighting stuff. so thanks for sticking with me.
